I started my bread baking adventures making pizza crusts, every Friday more or less, for 25+ years. One of the things I discovered on my own is that the flavor of crusty breads (pizza crust, baguettes) improves greatly with aged dough. Make your dough and leave it in the refrigerator in a covered bowl for 4 to 9 days after making it. The bread will improve in taste, change color from white to creamy ivory, become more crusty, and taste better. Flour is important in baking, but so are some other factors. Try it and see.
I'm originally from a very large farm in Alberta, Canada. Good flour makes all the difference in baking and cooking. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers, Stephane!
It probably burst because the seam when rolled wasn't sealed enough. And FYI, you can order off of Amazon a baking pan specifically for baking baguettes. There's a variety to choose from. I got a 2 pk and Each one will hold 3 loaves. I like these as they are perforated with holes on the bottom which helps the bottoms brown better. I also use an egg wash before putting them in the oven. And if you brush with melted butter as soon as they are done, it helps them stay a bit softer longer. Also allow them to cool before cutting. This keeps the steam inside which keeps the inside soft and yummy. I also always cover them when waiting on the 2nd rise so they don't dry out.
I worked at a bakery in the US that sold French breads and pastries throughout the city (I was hired as a delivery driver while attending university). Those were the pans they used. Also the pans became very brown, over time. They let the bread rise on those and then put the bread on those pans on rolling racks into steam ovens.
My T55 flour arrived yesterday, so the timing was a bit unfortunate. But I'll definitely swap out a teaspoon (out of 500g) with diastatic malt flour, it really is a secret ingredient when it comes to bread. The journey continues, merci Stephane!
Living here in France I'm spoiled rotten by the wonderful breads. When I talk to my French friends when they return from a long trip, they always say how much they miss their bread. This episode helped me understand WHY they are so wonderful. You explained the differences in flours clearly and simply. I'm not a baker but now I have to try. Merci as always Stephane! Curious as to what breads YOU miss?
Lucky you, I live in Aus, and it's just not the same. There aren't that many French bakers who use French flours, so even in good bakeries (and let's be honest, there aren't that many either), the bread doesn't taaste the same. I miss French bakeries so bloody much.
After spending so much time in making(learning) pizza dough during lockdown, I learn how to make baguettes by YT. Inspirational. Definitely shopping for bread flour for my next project. One thing I've learned about pizza dough, after the first proof, I keep the kneading to a bare minimum between each proof. That way the final product has more elasticity.
Correction: T55 has lower gluten / protein than t65. Bread flower contains 13% protein while cake flower contains about 7%. the higher you go the more proteins you have , but the gluten formation will be hindered by the outer shell, that’s why the bread will be denser, the sweet spot for a baguette style wholes, large and small is the T65/Bread Flour. Neapolitan pizza needs high protein, Caputo pizzeria has 12.5g protein which is almost equal to a bread floor/T65 but much finer (type 00)
As always a top notch video. The French really have an amazing bakery culture. You’ll notice the French baguette are scored differently. Instead of scoring the dough across the angle is much shallower that produces the famous ear oven spring. I’d like you to go to a proper French bakery. Film it and learn their techniques. There is a reason why the French baker is held in so high regard. It’s a whole rabbit hole that gives and gives. This is just advice and I really love your videos so please don’t take it the wrong way. There are plenty of great bread books. Tartine bread is American book but an amazing amazing start to learn how simple good bread can be
Excellent primer on baguettes! Do you know about diastatic malt? My locale award winning French baker adds it to his breads as a way to help with rising and color. It is especially helpful when using organic flours and does not require adjusting yeast amounts. And, for the home cook, it is easier than using sourdough starter but can also be used in conjunction with it. It is easily available and inexpensive.
They definitely need more proof time, and as someone else mentioned, maybe higher hydration because the crumb is just too tight. French white bread usually has a very open crumb (which is perfect for butter or jam to nest in the holes :D ). You should bake bread more often (what a great issue to have!) and try out different timings and proportions of ingredients, to see what differences that makes to your bread. Also, many bakers use a mix of t55 and t65, to get a better balance of taste and shape. I'd still take your bread over anything I can find here in my corner of Aus.
more proof time and a longer fermentation, i usually ferment with levain for 2 - 3 -4 - 5 days (in the fridge) a baguette each day, the ones at day 4 - 5 taste the best. I always use a mix of bread Flour/t65 and stone ground whole wheat white flour.
King Arthur here in the US has a nice 11.7% protein flour (Sir Galahad). Makes nice baguettes! Also it’s good for farmer bread made in a large Le Crueset Dutch oven
I like that you open up to more tweaking and information with different ingredients and yeast amounts. I have since ordered excellent flours from a flour mill that have more naturally milled flours (I have to store them differently and they do not last as long). I can't wait to make the baguettes. Also going to experiment and add small amount of a Red Fife flour that is also grown in Canada. My first choice is always white baguette. My husband and I still lament about the baguette ham sandwich that we forgot in the hotel fridge in France about 20 years ago.
The first loaf looked underproofed IMO and both loaves looked like the hydration level wasn't high enough. I'm accustomed to seeing baguettes with much more open crumbs
Great information!!! I remember years ago, driving thru the south of France.. we bought a baguette at a roadside gas station.. where they sold bread (probably frozen then baked), still warm. We inhaled it! crumbs throughout the rental car. Even in that humble location, it was incredible. I'll look for this flour and experiment. Thanks so much.
It’s nice to know how to get French and Italian flours. Unfortunately, American flours are often GMO flours fortified unnaturally. It breaks down into compounds that aren’t good for people and cause gluten intolerance. I may have to see if I can get ahold of these flours myself at some point. The kinds of flour is interesting! Thanks for clarifying. It has always been something that I’ve found confusing.
Thanks for that Stephane! I thought I just could not bake bread, but this shows that I may have been using the wrong ingredients. With this video I am willing to experiment more to find what works best here in the USA.
In the last decade there appeared in Paris boulangerie selling baguette using the equivalent of what's known elsewhere as "Hong Kong flour" and yes, one can both taste & see the difference. At an authentic boulangerie, the queues were down the street and around the corner.
I make organic sourdough baguettes mixing four different types of flours, including for example a stone ground T80 and a variety of old wheat called Maris Widgeon.
I am really confused with all the different recipes 😥😥😥. Will try to make my own with the issues I like, for example the mineral water you use instead of regular tap water. All night in the fridge??? 🙄
As a chef you will I hope you understand you want it to bubble and then put it in the pen I'm not sure which process you use yet when you see the bubbles is when you cut and put in the oven you should see better bubbles .. From ♡ America Denna To you Chef *♡France👄👄
I see the big traditional baguette bubbles aren't happening. Exactly what I'm doing. I too live in Australia and have tried all types of flour. Is it dried vs fresh yeast that causes little french style bubbles? I'd love to hear all suggestions
As a pro baker from Poland who was trained in France I can tell you this: the darker the flour the more differences there are. T45 T50 and T65 tradition are very easy to buy all over the world but more whole wheat flours are very different. In Poland we have T750 and T850 flours which are completely different from the French T80 flour although the ash content is very similar. Our whole wheat flour is also different. This is the biggest issue when following recipes from other countries.
Can you mix flours? Say 1/4 of the T55 and 3/4 of the T65 (or whatever combination)-you get a bit more of the rise with the T55 added but still maintaining the flavor of the T65.
Hi there you can if you like but the real baguette effect happens if you were to use a liquid sourdough starter plus yeast that is the key to getting closer to a real style baguette . but the the tools and ingredients you can get for home makes it extremely hard to make a real baguette. this is why i usually don’t attempt to make bread myself. but i guess it is still fun to test things out and the result are perfectly eatable 🙂🙂👍
You can use many types of flours. The important part is keeping a good balance of gluten. If you use more cerealy/grainy/less processed flours you might want to cut down on yeast to make up for it. You can also mix potato starch to make it fluffier and balance out gluten content. Traditionally a normal baguette uses T45 flour, but every bakery in France offers specialties and various cereal/flour mixes as well as regular white bread baguettes.
Sounds snobby, but I can't eat baguettes out of France. I even drive past 3 boulangerie's to get the baguettes I prefer - I'm in the South West of the country where the boulangerie opens at 7am and there is a queue. I've been spoilt for anything else. Take it home, salty butter with raspberry jam. DEVINE!
yes still fun to experience if you are into bread making but like i always said for bread making you need the professional tool machine and ingredients for it to work properly.
Home cooks lack the tools experience and coordination. This is because when you bake 1 loaf you tend to overthink the process, spend too much time working the dough and shaping it. When I shape 100 loaves I don't have the time to overthink so I focus on the feel of the dough to make my movements as fast and precise as possible.
Thank you for your videos! I don't want to seem negative, but since you use the phrase "et cetera" a lot, you should pronounce it accurately. You say "EK-setera" but it's "ET-setera".
Your bread is ... bread ... not baguette Indeed, you're not using the same technique and I feel sorry to realise it but when I see your other videos, I really think that you simply cannot make it properly thus you didn't intend to show us your lack of practice/technique. but still you tried (and it's fine) ... and you sell cooking guides, follow courses then teach, do things the right order
Unfortunately, I have to agree with this comment. A bit more tools can be added such as the bread lame, or couche cloth. Also baking steel will make a difference as well. Good quality ingredients are important but so are the techniques!
@@Jeremeea I agree but tools doesn't make it all, any good baker/(pastry) chef can make great things with no extrordinary ingredients and working stuff (and there can be many others you didn't mention, molds, kneader, flour brusher, razor blade, aso.).
Baguettes should be airy and bubbly inside. Those two are very dense, like play dough, they don’t spring back when you pressed them. .. and for sure next day will be hard as a stone. 😢 not a good French job. Better stick to soups and chicken
I started my bread baking adventures making pizza crusts, every Friday more or less, for 25+ years. One of the things I discovered on my own is that the flavor of crusty breads (pizza crust, baguettes) improves greatly with aged dough. Make your dough and leave it in the refrigerator in a covered bowl for 4 to 9 days after making it. The bread will improve in taste, change color from white to creamy ivory, become more crusty, and taste better. Flour is important in baking, but so are some other factors. Try it and see.
I'm originally from a very large farm in Alberta, Canada. Good flour makes all the difference in baking and cooking. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers, Stephane!
What kind of flour do you use in Alberta? I find Anita's Mill works ok.
I'm going to BC soon. What are your favorite good flours to use for baking? 😊
It probably burst because the seam when rolled wasn't sealed enough. And FYI, you can order off of Amazon a baking pan specifically for baking baguettes.
There's a variety to choose from. I got a 2 pk and Each one will hold 3 loaves. I like these as they are perforated with holes on the bottom which helps the bottoms brown better. I also use an egg wash before putting them in the oven. And if you brush with melted butter as soon as they are done, it helps them stay a bit softer longer. Also allow them to cool before cutting. This keeps the steam inside which keeps the inside soft and yummy. I also always cover them when waiting on the 2nd rise so they don't dry out.
I worked at a bakery in the US that sold French breads and pastries throughout the city (I was hired as a delivery driver while attending university). Those were the pans they used. Also the pans became very brown, over time. They let the bread rise on those and then put the bread on those pans on rolling racks into steam ovens.
Hey Stephane, thanks for the shout-out - I'm glad you found Basic Ingredients helpful! We have lots of their stuff at home now!
yeah it’s great fun trying making some breads 🙂 cheers again 👍
My T55 flour arrived yesterday, so the timing was a bit unfortunate. But I'll definitely swap out a teaspoon (out of 500g) with diastatic malt flour, it really is a secret ingredient when it comes to bread.
The journey continues, merci Stephane!
I don't like secret ingredients.
Living here in France I'm spoiled rotten by the wonderful breads. When I talk to my French friends when they return from a long trip, they always say how much they miss their bread. This episode helped me understand WHY they are so wonderful. You explained the differences in flours clearly and simply. I'm not a baker but now I have to try. Merci as always Stephane! Curious as to what breads YOU miss?
I was on trip in china for a month, the first thing i ate when i returned was a « tradition » (best baguette)
Lucky you, I live in Aus, and it's just not the same. There aren't that many French bakers who use French flours, so even in good bakeries (and let's be honest, there aren't that many either), the bread doesn't taaste the same. I miss French bakeries so bloody much.
You would have loved my Polish mom/ French dad! When she came to visit in the US none of the flour met with her approval!
Canada has some really good flour.
In the U.S. flour is bleached then fortified with synthetics.
Real bread anywhere takes a minimum of 18 hours' fermentation prior to baking.
All the best from Poland ;)
After spending so much time in making(learning) pizza dough during lockdown, I learn how to make baguettes by YT. Inspirational. Definitely shopping for bread flour for my next project. One thing I've learned about pizza dough, after the first proof, I keep the kneading to a bare minimum between each proof. That way the final product has more elasticity.
Correction: T55 has lower gluten / protein than t65. Bread flower contains 13% protein while cake flower contains about 7%. the higher you go the more proteins you have , but the gluten formation will be hindered by the outer shell, that’s why the bread will be denser, the sweet spot for a baguette style wholes, large and small is the T65/Bread Flour.
Neapolitan pizza needs high protein, Caputo pizzeria has 12.5g protein which is almost equal to a bread floor/T65 but much finer (type 00)
As always a top notch video. The French really have an amazing bakery culture.
You’ll notice the French baguette are scored differently. Instead of scoring the dough across the angle is much shallower that produces the famous ear oven spring. I’d like you to go to a proper French bakery. Film it and learn their techniques. There is a reason why the French baker is held in so high regard. It’s a whole rabbit hole that gives and gives. This is just advice and I really love your videos so please don’t take it the wrong way. There are plenty of great bread books. Tartine bread is American book but an amazing amazing start to learn how simple good bread can be
Excellent primer on baguettes! Do you know about diastatic malt? My locale award winning French baker adds it to his breads as a way to help with rising and color. It is especially helpful when using organic flours and does not require adjusting yeast amounts. And, for the home cook, it is easier than using sourdough starter but can also be used in conjunction with it. It is easily available and inexpensive.
They definitely need more proof time, and as someone else mentioned, maybe higher hydration because the crumb is just too tight. French white bread usually has a very open crumb (which is perfect for butter or jam to nest in the holes :D ). You should bake bread more often (what a great issue to have!) and try out different timings and proportions of ingredients, to see what differences that makes to your bread. Also, many bakers use a mix of t55 and t65, to get a better balance of taste and shape. I'd still take your bread over anything I can find here in my corner of Aus.
more proof time and a longer fermentation, i usually ferment with levain for 2 - 3 -4 - 5 days (in the fridge) a baguette each day, the ones at day 4 - 5 taste the best. I always use a mix of bread Flour/t65 and stone ground whole wheat white flour.
Great episode Stephane, and I like this approach of making a good baguette. Clearly this is just the beginning.
King Arthur here in the US has a nice 11.7% protein flour (Sir Galahad). Makes nice baguettes!
Also it’s good for farmer bread made in a large Le Crueset Dutch oven
It’s my favorite flour
@@ben5056
Who?
I like that you open up to more tweaking and information with different ingredients and yeast amounts. I have since ordered excellent flours from a flour mill that have more naturally milled flours (I have to store them differently and they do not last as long). I can't wait to make the baguettes. Also going to experiment and add small amount of a Red Fife flour that is also grown in Canada. My first choice is always white baguette. My husband and I still lament about the baguette ham sandwich that we forgot in the hotel fridge in France about 20 years ago.
The first loaf looked underproofed IMO and both loaves looked like the hydration level wasn't high enough. I'm accustomed to seeing baguettes with much more open crumbs
These details make us improve our cooking.
Thanks for sharing
Great information!!! I remember years ago, driving thru the south of France.. we bought a baguette at a roadside gas station.. where they sold bread (probably frozen then baked), still warm. We inhaled it! crumbs throughout the rental car. Even in that humble location, it was incredible. I'll look for this flour and experiment. Thanks so much.
It’s nice to know how to get French and Italian flours. Unfortunately, American flours are often GMO flours fortified unnaturally. It breaks down into compounds that aren’t good for people and cause gluten intolerance. I may have to see if I can get ahold of these flours myself at some point. The kinds of flour is interesting! Thanks for clarifying. It has always been something that I’ve found confusing.
King Arthur Flour is all non-GMO . They have very good organic AP and bread flours.
Thanks for that Stephane! I thought I just could not bake bread, but this shows that I may have been using the wrong ingredients. With this video I am willing to experiment more to find what works best here in the USA.
Thanks for explain the difference of the flour.
Truly insightful as always, thank you Chef Stéfane
In the last decade there appeared in Paris boulangerie selling baguette using the equivalent of what's known elsewhere as "Hong Kong flour" and yes, one can both taste & see the difference. At an authentic boulangerie, the queues were down the street and around the corner.
Great explanation! I use bread flour and then add rye, whole wheat and/or oat to add character
I make organic sourdough baguettes mixing four different types of flours, including for example a stone ground T80 and a variety of old wheat called Maris Widgeon.
It’s not just the flour…the water in France is different as well. Just about all ingredients are!
the wheat and the processing of it are also different, so you cannot get the same result with Aussie ingredients.
We’ll you can just buy some bottles of Evian I guess
That was so helpful!
Gosh man Im moving to france in a month and although I wont be cooking as much, this is excellent info. thanks
If you move there just get a perfect fresh Baguette from the bake for 1€
@@TeylaDex yeah, but I'm not using the knowledge to bake baguettes, I'll reference it fo make mexican 'pan de muerto' in November and conchas!
I am really confused with all the different recipes 😥😥😥. Will try to make my own with the issues I like, for example the mineral water you use instead of regular tap water. All night in the fridge??? 🙄
The You.I loved both videos
PLEASE PLEASE add the recipe for the pate ! Thanks !!
Lack of baking stone is not a minor detail. It actually changes a lot. Especially when baking baguettes. Good video though. :)
Great video!
It is humorous that the flour company is called “Basic” ingredients. Now Stephane can say “basically” many times in this video and not be embarrassed!
Basically yes
Hi , can you tell me if I can get French flour for baguettes in Singapore ?
As a chef you will I hope you understand you want it to bubble and then put it in the pen I'm not sure which process you use yet when you see the bubbles is when you cut and put in the oven you should see better bubbles ..
From ♡ America Denna To you Chef *♡France👄👄
I absolutely loved your video Thank you 👨🍳 Which French flour would you use for cinnamon buns ?
I see the big traditional baguette bubbles aren't happening. Exactly what I'm doing. I too live in Australia and have tried all types of flour. Is it dried vs fresh yeast that causes little french style bubbles? I'd love to hear all suggestions
So if I want French flour, I have to buy it from Australia? This will be some well-traveled flour by the time I get it.
Hey chef, if I spread some foix gras on my boot, it will also taste good.
As a pro baker from Poland who was trained in France I can tell you this: the darker the flour the more differences there are. T45 T50 and T65 tradition are very easy to buy all over the world but more whole wheat flours are very different. In Poland we have T750 and T850 flours which are completely different from the French T80 flour although the ash content is very similar. Our whole wheat flour is also different. This is the biggest issue when following recipes from other countries.
Wonderful video
Canada also has a great selection of flour.
Yay baguettes!!!
🥸 Merci Bucketts.
What about using T65 for the poolish and T55 for the bulk dough?
Can you mix flours? Say 1/4 of the T55 and 3/4 of the T65 (or whatever combination)-you get a bit more of the rise with the T55 added but still maintaining the flavor of the T65.
yes but tbh know-how makes it all
Façonnage (givng a form after kneading and rising) is the key step
Hi there you can if you like but the real baguette effect happens if you were to use a liquid sourdough starter plus yeast that is the key to getting closer to a real style baguette . but the the tools and ingredients you can get for home makes it extremely hard to make a real baguette. this is why i usually don’t attempt to make bread myself. but i guess it is still fun to test things out and the result are perfectly eatable 🙂🙂👍
You can use many types of flours. The important part is keeping a good balance of gluten. If you use more cerealy/grainy/less processed flours you might want to cut down on yeast to make up for it. You can also mix potato starch to make it fluffier and balance out gluten content. Traditionally a normal baguette uses T45 flour, but every bakery in France offers specialties and various cereal/flour mixes as well as regular white bread baguettes.
Sounds snobby, but I can't eat baguettes out of France. I even drive past 3 boulangerie's to get the baguettes I prefer - I'm in the South West of the country where the boulangerie opens at 7am and there is a queue. I've been spoilt for anything else.
Take it home, salty butter with raspberry jam. DEVINE!
Coo Yah , Voutre pain est bon
since when do you live in Australia? Last i saw you moved on Lyon.
Baking is bloody hard. Even Stephane had one of those disasters we all have had at home
yes still fun to experience if you are into bread making but like i always said for bread making you need the professional tool machine and ingredients for it to work properly.
Home cooks lack the tools experience and coordination. This is because when you bake 1 loaf you tend to overthink the process, spend too much time working the dough and shaping it. When I shape 100 loaves I don't have the time to overthink so I focus on the feel of the dough to make my movements as fast and precise as possible.
I would have love 💗 it more if you could speak French every now n then with English subtitles 😅🤫 d be sound more authentic 👌🏻
i love your videos but ONE thing is really... a thing... it is "ET cetera" not "exetera"
Thank you for your videos! I don't want to seem negative, but since you use the phrase "et cetera" a lot, you should pronounce it accurately. You say "EK-setera" but it's "ET-setera".
يوتيوبر مصريه مرت من هنا
use a poolish batch and the flavour will jump up a lot
Poolish , levain, and a long fermentation 2+ days, and wonders will happen :)
Les pains de ma jeunesse !
Your crumb is not open enough
Your bread is ... bread ... not baguette
Indeed, you're not using the same technique and I feel sorry to realise it but when I see your other videos, I really think that you simply cannot make it properly thus you didn't intend to show us your lack of practice/technique.
but still you tried (and it's fine) ... and you sell cooking guides, follow courses then teach, do things the right order
Unfortunately, I have to agree with this comment. A bit more tools can be added such as the bread lame, or couche cloth. Also baking steel will make a difference as well. Good quality ingredients are important but so are the techniques!
@@Jeremeea I agree but tools doesn't make it all, any good baker/(pastry) chef can make great things with no extrordinary ingredients and working stuff (and there can be many others you didn't mention, molds, kneader, flour brusher, razor blade, aso.).
wow you must be the most perfect person in the world haha
Your scoring is still wrong!
in fact the end result is really bad and has nothing to do with a french baguette
NOT very good: the French flours used contain ascorbic acid and other dough improvers. NOT something to make good bread with.
Bleached and Bromated flour from the US 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
You first need how to bake then teach it😜😜😜😜😜
Baguettes should be airy and bubbly inside. Those two are very dense, like play dough, they don’t spring back when you pressed them. .. and for sure next day will be hard as a stone. 😢 not a good French job. Better stick to soups and chicken